Pitchfork

America, why do we love and hate thee so? For every star-spangled overseas atrocity, for every homeless child, for every Paris Hilton, there are a bunch of reasons why our country remains great. Like freedom and democracy and stuff. But also music! And music magazines! And music magazines about America! No Depression magazine started in 1995 as an alt-country quarterly, lyric-checking the Carter Family via Uncle Tupelo right there on the masthead. But in the decade since, their beat has expanded to cover anything remotely rootsy, earthy, swampy, or bluegrassy. If a genre takes its name from the soil, No Depression covers it, and covers it so well that "No Depression" has become a catchall supergenre unto itself. Now that the magazine is turning 10, the editors have announced that it will henceforth sport a new logo and a new tagline: "Surveying the past, present, and future of American music." Hopefully they will be surveying Ciara, because she is so the future of American music.

Furthermore, No Depression will mark the occasion inna fine Americana stylee with "10 Shows for 10 Years," taking place across the country in September. Beginning and ending with hoedowns in Seattle, the concerts explore all shades of sepia-tone, from our beloved Sufjan Stevens to resurrected soul kingpin Solomon Burke. The recently reunited the Knitters (who arguably started this whole alt-country thing to begin with) will share the stage with Burke and the legendary Bobby Bare in Nashville on September 8, and Jon Langford's Waco Brothers will host the grand finale in Seattle on September 25. Start distressing your flannel shirts now:

09-03 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival Backyard Stage (Tift Merritt, Billy Joe Shaver, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion)
09-07 Austin, TX - Continental Club (Charlie Sexton, Jon Dee Graham)
09-08 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge (The Knitters, Solomon Burke, Marty Stuart, Bobby Bare Sr., Elizabeth Cook, Avett Brothers)
09-10 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle (Two Dollar Pistols, Tres Chicas, Chris Stamey, Sally Spring)
09-14 Los Angeles, CA - The Mint (Tom Freund, Grey DeLisle, Murry Hammond)
09-16 Chicago, IL - The Metro (Sufjan Stevens, Laura Veirs)
09-17 Chicago, IL - The Metro (Sufjan Stevens, Liz Janes)
09-22 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (Peter Case, Christy McWilson)
09-23 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (Raul Malo)
09-24 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (Richmond Fontaine, Norfolk & Western, Mike Coykendall)
09-25 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (Waco Brothers Bloodshot Revue with Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Dollar Store)

But that's not all! No Depression's second anthology, The Best Of No Depression: Writing About American Music, a sequel to 1998's No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is will be issued in September by the University of Texas Press. (Both books were edited by ND head honchos Grant Alden and Peter Blackstock.) To celebrate, book signings are a'brewin', all with musical accompaniment. Get thee gone:

09-08 Austin, TX - Waterloo Records (with Jon Dee Graham)
09-11 Raleigh, NC - Quail Ridge Books (with Kenny Roby)
09-12 Durham, NC - Regulator Bookstore (with Caitlin Cary & Lynn Blakey)

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